downtown

This week was crazy busy. We moved into our new house, I got sick and had to miss school, and we hosted community group at our new house on Thursday. Needless to say, even though we went on an amazing date last weekend, I never got around to posting it. But here it is. 

activities. the color run, coffee, and hanging out at the guthrie green

dinner. hey mambo

Our Saturday morning started off much different than it usually does. We ran in the Color Run! It is just a 5K, but it was the first race that either of us had run. It was one of the most fun things that we have done as a couple. 

Runners are supposed to wear white, and as the race progresses volunteers throw powdered paint on the runners, hence the name, Color Run. It reminded me so much of Holi, the spring festival in India. 

It was certainly a different experience for me. I grew up in Austin, where every run shuts down the city and causes no end of frustration for us non-fitness-o-philes. However, the Color Run was more party than exercise and really proved to be totally worth it!

photo via Aaron Stephenson

After finally getting all the paint out of our hair, we had an afternoon date. We got coffee at the phoenix, our new favorite coffee house. We then headed downtown to spend a little quiet time at guthrie green, a park in the middle of the Brady Arts District of Tulsa. We were surprised to discover that a concert was happening at the park, but it made the trip that much better.

shorts. j.crew

shirt. similar here

belt. similar here

shirt. j.crew

pants. banana republic

shoes. johnston and murphy

 Local businesses and downtown interests are really trying to revitalize the Brady district and surrounding areas. We're starting to reach critical mass, what with OneOK Field, home to the Tulsa Drillers, several great concert venues, new coffee shops, and great public spaces. It's exciting to see the city moving in a fun new direction. 

One of the problems with studying abroad in Italy is that I began to be really picky about eating Italian food. There are a few places in Tulsa that I think makes real Italian style quality food. Hey mambo is one of them. Order the arrabbiata (I know I always tell you to do that, but it's that good).   

 Jordan tells me that carbonara is a Roman specialty. I like it because it's got bacon in it. Not exactly the healthiest thing you can order, but hey, we were carb loading retroactively.  

Check out the color run next year, it's worth it. For those of you in and around the Tulsa area, what's your favorite new (or new to you) thing that's been popping up around downtown? 

monarchs and heads of state

It feels like summer now. Not because of the weather, but because we spent two weekends in a row at the ballpark. This week was another double date with the adorable John and Katie. Recently engaged, the two are a joy to be around. 

 Aren't they just the cutest? 

dinner. joe momma's

activity. tulsa driller's game

after party. celebrating Katie's victory

Joe Momma's is one of a few really great options within walking distance of the ballpark. If you're heading out there, park behind McNellie's and try any of the really great places on Elgin (Joe Momma's, McNellies, El Guapo's, -coming soon- Albert G's). We were so into our pizza that we forgot to take pictures. Oops.

We sit on the lawn at every Driller's game. It's only 5 dollars, you can bring your own blanket and picnic basket full of food, and every once in awhile you may get close to catching a home run ball. This particular night was no different. We loaded up the cars with blankets and headed to the ballpark. However, on our way to the game, this sweet older couple stopped us and asked if we would like free tickets right behind home plate.
We ran into a few friends out taking pictures for their wedding, which is coming up really soon! Stay tuned this summer if you want to know more about them, or see their faces from less than 1/2 mile away--I'm sure a double date is in our future.

A good mascot is a real bonus at any minor league park. Hornsby (a large blue bull with a pot belly) is the Drillers furry ambassador. Sitting right over the dugout is just asking for him to be in your face all night though. Bear that in mind when selecting your seats!

There's this thing called rally hats. They are used when your team is either losing or tied at the end of a game as an effort to rally them to a win. Basically it just means you wear your hat inside out. We didn't have hats on Friday but we did have free bags at each seat. So, rally sacks they were. And although we did not make it on the big screen for our creativity, the team did win with a walk off hit. So it was worth something.

After staging a woeful campaign at the plate all Friday night, the Drillers came up with two big hits in the 8th and 9th innings to squeak by the San Antonio Missions. Whether its little league, high school, the minors or the majors, baseball never disappoints for entertainment. 

 It's difficult to take pictures of our outfits on dates with other people. But I assure you, they were more functional than fashionable because of the temperature drop. Although I did wear my sparkly shoes, courtesy of Sam's sister Hallie. Just because we are at a game doesn't mean I can't be a little fancy.

We ended the night by toasting to Katie's accomplishments. Earlier that day, she won the Student Association's election to become the SA President in the 2013-2014 school year. The best part? Her fiance, John, is the current SA President, making them the first husband and wife to rule over the student body at TU. Love it.
Therefore, it was truly a star-studded double date: John and Katie--TU Student Association Presidents; Jordan and I--2011 TU Homecoming King and Queen. That's never leaving my resume. 

Linking up here! Check out Mary Beth's blog!

baseball time in arlington

 We had a whirlwind weekend. 

On Friday night we went to the wedding of a truly beautiful couple. The invitation directed us to the Jazz Hall of Fame and I was expecting a night inside. Instead, the wedding was held on the rooftop. Imagine downtown Tulsa at sunset and the most beautiful wedding gown you have ever seen. It was breathtaking. You should check it out for yourself once the talented Brett Heidebrecht posts them to his website!

My favorite place in the world is Rangers Ballpark in Arlington. I think this was decided for me the first time I walked in. My dad took my brother and me down from Oklahoma for a game when I was 5 or 6 and we got to see Rusty Greer, Mickey Tettleton, and all those old guys. Call it a "Field Of Dreams" moment or whatever you want, but RBIA holds something special for me. I take every chance I get to catch a game there. 

For those of you who are not baseball fans, let me give you a little background on the current state of affairs in Rangers-world. Josh Hamilton was a Ranger through and through, inspiration come-back-from-drugs-get-saved-hit-lots-of-home-runs story and all. Until he signed for lots of money with the Angels. This was his first weekend in Arlington as a visitor and he received plenty of boos. My wife thought it was a riot to rag on him. 

My roommate through all of college, Kylie, (also known as rooms slash bestie till we're 40) bought us the greatest Christmas present: an entire weekend with her plus Rangers baseball. It was so wonderful. We cheered and booed (see above) and ate way too many sunflower seeds. She is one of the only girls I know who loves sports as much as I do (and knows more about them too). 

Sam and I love this place in Dallas called Glorias. It's El Salvadoran, which essentially means Mexican in Texas, but they bring you black bean dip for you chips. So good. Even though we had Gloria's last time we were in Dallas, we took everyone again.

We met up with my older sister Hallie for breakfast before heading back. Breadwinners is a great Dallas locale for breakfast. Try it if you're around the DFW area for Sunday brunch!

Overall just a perfect weekend. Tiring, but wonderful. Any weekend when I get to wear my Ivan Rodriguez jersey for a whole day and Jordan even condones it just can't be beat. 

What's your favorite place in the world? We would love to know!

Linking up with annapolis & company. You will LOVE her blog!

the waterfront

 Sam is from Austin. One of the coolest things about Austin is its abundance of activities involving water. My personal favorite is what natives call Town Lake. It's essentially just a river, but the kayaking, stand up paddle boarding, and trails along its banks make it one of the more happening places in the city.

Tulsa's got something similar, though Mayor Bartlett is working on increasing the water to sand ratio. It's still a really pretty place to take a walk or bike ride all the way down Riverside. 

dinner. andolini's

activity. walking along the Arkansas River and sipping pineapple drinks

 Andolini's is ranked #1 on tripadvisor for good reason. Our recommendation is to go with a smaller pizza and start out with some garlic knots. These are wonderfully buttery, warm knots of dough with plenty of garlic. So good that we couldn't wait to take a picture before we devoured them. Oops. Stomach trumps blog, every time. 

shirt. similar here

shorts. gap

watch. timex weekender

I wore this outfit because of two friends named Katie. The first told me that she loved my skirt and that I should wear it on our date. The second told me that she didn't know if she liked stripes and patterns together. So this is me showing her you can do it. It may not be in style, but no one said anything about it. Which to me means it must work.

shirt. gap

skirt. macy's

belt. similar here

Tulsa has lots of longboarders. These particular 'boarders are being dragged by large dogs. I don't recommend this. My siblings and I once tried to have our dog walk us. Rollerblades and giant, somewhat aggressive black mutts don't mix well.

We sat by the river awhile and watched the sun go down. It was worth the wait. 

 Jordan recently procured and repainted a vintage bar cart, so we've been slowly building up our supplies. The day offered just a little taste of summer, so pineapple vodka mixed drinks were on the menu. 

Sometimes it's nice to just sit and watch a sunset. I recommend it.

Oh and one more thing... HAPPY OPENING DAY!

Linking up here!